NBC has released the first promo for "Hannibal," a sure-to-be-grisly new series featuring Mads Mikkelsen as the infamous serial killer and Hugh Dancy as an FBI profiler tasked with picking his sociopathic brain (so to speak). Also starring in the Bryan Fuller-scripted show, which was ordered straight to series by the network last February, are Caroline Dhavernas, Lara Jean Chorostecki and Laurence Fisbhurne, who will recur as Jack Crawford, the head of the FBI's Behavioral Sciences division.

So can Mikkelsen live up to Anthony Hopkins' iconic portrayal of the villain? We'll see when the series premieres on April 4; meanwhile, you can get your first taste of his performance in the trailer below.

Will you be watching "Hannibal" this spring? Let us know in the comments.

A former contributor to sites including Bloody-Disgusting and AfterElton, Eggertsen enjoys rock music, rainy days and smelling the pages of old books. You should read all of his articles and follow him on Twitter because it's the right thing to do.